VISUAL ART & MUSEUMS

Tinney Contemporary is pleased to present Sanctuary, a portrait exhibition by local artist, Sharon Lee Hart, featuring the amazing animal residents of farm animal sanctuaries. The photographs in Sanctuary are the product of Hart’s ongoing, long-term project—The Farm Animal Sanctuary Project—which began because of her love of farm animals and the knowledge that they are some of the most abused, overlooked animals on the planet. To contradict the commonly held view of farm animals as purely utilitarian food and labor sources, Hart emphasizes the uniqueness of each animal by photographing them individually and titling each photograph with the animal’s name. Her poignant black and white portraits reveal the complex emotional lives these animals lead, showing some as quirky or funny, while showing others as shy, playful, intelligent, mischievous, or inquisitive.

Hart chose to photograph at farm animal sanctuaries because the animals there have been removed from abusive situations and are now getting the best care possible. All of the animal residents at the sanctuaries have amazing stories of survival, many of them having escaped from slaughterhouses and live meat markets, lived through live animal testing and cockfighting, or other unspeakable horrors. In the safe comfort of the sanctuaries, the rescued animals are free to live out their lives without fear, which enables Hart to make a more accurate portrait. Accordingly, Hart approaches photographing the animals with respect, and in the same way she would a person, working within the tradition of portraiture and documentary photography. Hart’s hope is that her photographs will ultimately encourage people to see with more compassionate eyes and view farm animals in a new light.

Sharon Lee Hart received her B.F.A. in Photography from the Maine College of Art and her M.F.A. in Photography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the recipient of numerous grants and awards and has exhibited in solo and group shows across the U.S. Hart currently lives and works in Nashville, where she is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Art at Watkins College of Art, Design, and Film.

Silent auction will include items and gift certificates from Woodstock Sanctuary, Kindred Spirits Sanctuary, Wild Cow, Grins, The Green Wagon, Catskill Sanctuary, Farm Sanctuary, Watkins College of Art, Design, and Film, Center of Symmetry, Escape Day Spa, United Poultry Concerns, Cosmos Vegan Shoppe, and more. 20% of print sales and 100% of proceeds from the silent auction will be donated to the sanctuaries.

Image: Duncan, Resident of Safe Haven Farm Animal Sanctuary 2010, by Sharon Lee Hart